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Mothers Day, also known as Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent every year and has been since the 16th century. Lent is the forty days (not including Sundays) leading up to Easter. Mothers Day can fall in either March or April as Easter falls on a different date each year according to the Lunar calendar (the moon) rather than the solar system.

It’s not known for certain exactly how Mothers Day came about. We do however know that on this day, about four hundred years ago people who lived in smaller villages did not attend their regular churches on this particular Sunday but would travel to the nearest ‘big’ church. This was known as the Mother Church.

Others would travel to the nearest city to worship in a Cathedral; this was considered the Mother Church of all other churches. People visiting their mother church would say that they were going ‘a mothering’. We also know that young children who worked in service were each allowed one day to visit their families, this was usually on Mothering Sunday. It was also known as Refreshment Sunday or Mid-Lent Sunday.

Mothers Day is a major event on the greeting cards calendar. In March 2008 more than 12 million cards were sent in the UK alone. Card sales online also soar around this time, with many people living in other countries choosing to buy cards over the internet.

In recent years with the development of the internet it is now possible to have your card handwritten and sent direct to your mum - this method is becoming increasingly popular with ex-pats as it adds a personal touch.

Traditionally children send a card to their mum on Mothering Sunday to honour her strength, wisdom and grace and celebrate the special bond shared between a mother and her children. You can also buy cards for grandmas, wives and even girlfriends.

There are several genres of Mothers Day cards from humorous cards that make you giggle to the modern and traditional types with lengthy, meaningful verses. Traditional is far more popular than humour with many people opting for significant words describing what they feel or what their mother means to them. Floral cards are also extremely popular on this day, with many designs featuring floral arrangements and bouquets.

It is also tradition on Mothers Day to give a gift as well as a card. Flowers are the most popular choice by far but chocolates and jewellery are also commonly given. Supermarkets, florists and online florist websites see a massive increase in sales in the days leading up to Mothers Day.

You will often find pubs and restaurants are fully booked or overly busy with many sons and daughters opting to treat their mother or grandmother to a traditional Sunday lunch or a fancy meal in a posh restaurant.Mothers Day will be celebrated on Sunday 22nd March in 2009.